17 Dec 2016 8:58 AM |
Anonymous

03 Mar 2016 8:52 AM |
Anonymous

THE WASHINGTON POST By Tanya Lewis November 18, 2014

People who speak two languages may have brains that are more efficient at language processing and other tasks, new research suggests.

Scientists have long assumed that the “bilingualism advantage” — the enhanced ability to filter out important information from unimportant material — stems from how bilingual people process language. The new study confirms that assumption and goes on to suggest that bilingual people are more efficient at higher-level brain functions such as ignoring irrelevant information, said Ellen Bialystok, a psychologist at York University in Toronto, who was not involved in the research.

Working harder

In the study, published last week in the journal Brain and Language, brain scans showed that people who spoke only one language had to work harder to focus on a single word.

People who are bilingual are constantly activating both languages in their brain, choosing which to use and which to ignore, said the study’s leader, Viorica Marian, a linguistic psychologist at Northwestern University.

In previous studies of people’s eye movements, Marian and her colleagues found that when bilingual people heard a word in one language, they often looked at objects whose names sounded similar to that word in their second language. In the new study, the researchers looked at how the ability to filter information manifests itself in the brain.

The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to scan the brains of 17 people who were fluent in both Spanish and English and 18 who spoke only English.

During the experiment, volunteers heard the name of an object and simultaneously were shown a picture of that object, as well as an object with a similar-sounding name, and two unrelated objects. For example, they might hear the word “cloud” and see pictures of a cloud, a clown and two other things. As fast as they could, the volunteers had to pick the picture that showed the word they heard.

Bilingual people were no faster at performing the task than monolinguals. However, their brain activity was markedly different, the scans revealed.

The brains of people who spoke only one language lit up much more than those of their bilingual counterparts in regions involved in controlling higher-level functions, including suppressing competing word meanings. In other words, monolinguals’ brains had to work much harder to perform the task, the researchers said.

The researchers compared the task with lifting weights at a gym. “The bilingual has to lift more weight than the monolingual, because bilinguals experience competition within and between both their languages while listening to speech,” the researchers said in an e-mail. “But the bilingual is also stronger, because they’ve been mentally ‘working out’ like this for their whole life.”

Bilingual benefits

Other scientists praised the research team for its approach to studying the brain activity of bilingual people. “This study fills in one of the important missing pieces in our understanding of how bilingualism leads to cognitive benefits,” Bialystok said.

Most of the previous research on the benefits of bilingualism has focused solely on behavior, which has drawn criticism from some scientists.

“There is actually a big discussion about whether the bilingual advantage exists or not,” said Jubin Abutalebi, a cognitive neurologist at the University San Raffaele in Milan, Italy.

The new study added to the field by showing that the task of filtering information activates different brain areas in bilinguals and monolinguals, Abutalebi said.

Knowing multiple languages may have other benefits, too. In a previous study, Marian and her colleagues found that bilingual children were able to ignore classroom noise more easily than monolingual children.

Some research suggests that being bilingual may also help stave off Alzheimer’s disease and dementia for a few years by keeping the brain nimble and increasing the amount of gray matter, though other studies have had conflicting results. More research on that issue is needed, according to the Mayo Clinic.

18 Dec 2015 12:56 PM |
Anonymous

On December 14th, the Youth Language School celebrated the “Festa di Natale” .The very talented kids -for the enjoyment of parents and grandparents- showcased their Italian knowledge through a repertoire of poems, songs and theatrical performances. A room filled with happy faces and tasty treats was the testimony of a very productive semester. Buone Feste!!

09 Oct 2015 9:37 AM |
Anonymous

The youth language school is off to a great start for the fall semester! We welcome new and returning families, new young students and the new Program director Luisa O’Gara.

Our language program offers classes for children age 3 to 17. The youngest kids are learning Italian while having fun through games, songs and a series of interactive activities performed in the class and repeated at home with their families. The oldest students are following a program that gives great emphasis to the grammar structures as well as to the cultural aspects of Italy.

03 Jun 2015 9:53 AM |
Anonymous

Dear families,

The ICC Youth Language School is offering a summer camp for the week of August 10th to the 14th. The camp will be based on Italian culture, art, music, food and language. The participants don't need to know Italian to enroll. On the first and the last day of the camp will offer a field trip to an Italian market to experience the process of pasta making and enjoying Italian baked goods. The last day will take the kids to a Pizzeria to make and eat their own pizza.
We will have two native Italian instructors to lead the kids through all the activities. You can check their Biohttp://www.theitalianculturalcenter.org/youthlanguageschoolinstructors
the hours are 9am to 2pm

This is the story of Cristina's family, she is a student enrolled in the course of Italian beginner corso C. Cristina has an Hispanic background, she has a strong interest in learning about Italian language and culture. Her parents are very happy with her choice and us teachers are proud of her and her goals.

My wife Beatriz López López was born in Toluca, Estado de Mexico and I was born in Zitácuaro, Michoacán in the central region of México.All our relatives are in México and our parents and grandparents were born there within the same region as far as we know.We are Roman catholic and are part of the St. Francis community in West St. Paul.Our native language is Spanish. We did not practice English until we settle here in the twin cities area in 1999.We migrated to USA in February 1999, we wanted to start the new century in the USA.We live currently in Eagan where we bought our house in 2000.Our son Salvador Alonso Suarez Lopez was born in 2/12/2000 and Cristina two years later on 9/30/2002.Learning English has been a pleasure experience. Our children speak fluently both languages, Spanish and English. They both take the advance class of Spanish at the high school level and French as part of the middle school grade they go to.We all have discovered the amazing experience, confidence, and ability that speaking other language provides.Cristina developed a high interest in Italian. She asked for a way to learn it. Alonso in the other way is interested in German.As part of my research I was not just looking for Italian classes but something more complete that could give Cristina a better experience on the Italian culture. I found the Italian Cultural Center through the internet.We are interested not only on the language but the actual Italian culture, music, food, art, etc. and interacting with people with Italian heritage is just great.We believe all this could fill Cristina’s Italian experience and interest.

Cristina just got recently enrolled on the beginner’s class. As parent we see Cristina excited to go every Sunday. She has a spark about it and shows a nice smile when talking about her Italian classes.We are looking forward to get more involved to get a better experience for Cristina and all the family with the Italian culture.

We may feel more tired during winter because we are exposed to less sunlight throughout the day, which can have a significant impact on how fatigued and drowsy we feel.

Our bodies respond to darkness by producing melatonin, a hormone that helps us sleep. Thus, when the days get shorter and we spend more of our waking hours in darkness, we naturally begin to feel less energetic.

However, a sleepy brain is a sluggish brain, and your fatigued mind certainly won't help you stay on top of your work or home life this winter.

One of the exercise to keep your brain active and healthy, and maintain your mental energy all season long is to learn a language.

Whether you're learning new words in your native language or learning a foreign language, expanding this knowledge pool is a great way to get your mental juices flowing.

One recent study even found that people who speak two languages tend to have higher-functioning brains than those who speak only their native language. Bilingual people are also better at separating important information from non-important information. Thus, this can be a great way to not only exercise your brain, but also learn very practical and useful communication skills.

16 Nov 2014 9:32 PM |
Anonymous

Who saysyou cannot have it all?

Even better ifyou learnwhile having fun.Duringour meeting on Sunday, October 26th,we celebratedHalloween withstories and gamesand we managed tofindthe time to doa lesson too--thoughabitshorterthan usual.We learned thatin many Italian towns,Italiansare celebratinga sort ofHalloween on November 2nd(All Souls Day). For example, inSardinia, our ancestors usedto carvepumpkinsin the shapeof a skull andilluminate themwith a candleinside, just likethejack-o-lantern. These were calledSa conca emortu. In Sicily,November 2ndis a particularly joyousholidayfor children, because if they have been goodandprayed for thesouls of the dead, in the morning they would get atraditionalPupo di zucchero (sugar doll). Did you know thatonthat occasionit was a tradition to make cookiesin the shape ofbonesthat kind of resembledoggytreats!The thought of it does notseemappealing,butconsidering they arehomemade, they surely will bedelicious!

23 Oct 2014 2:58 PM |
Anonymous

Bilingualismin our Youth Language School:around-tripticket

You mightthink of our school as a train station busy with people who want to share ideas, an espresso at the bar, some new recipe (often moms), soccer formations (usually dads) and especially the endless "Ciao”.Thetrain with all its components is the bilingual child who perceives, communicates and breathes two cultures--constantly traveling on two parallel tracks. On a practical level, the train is a means of locomotion widely used in Italy to travel between cities and is often used by young Italians to reach the school or the university. Like the train that transports travelers from a place to another, the bilingual child carries language and knowledge between two distant cultures, making them closer. The bilingual child take on specific roles by becoming the conductor--when translating between grandparents and family members who speak two different languages--and other times thepassenger sharing newadventures, experiences and souvenirs with their fellow travelers.

For thebilingual child, an independence of language is triggered that allows them to get by in both cultures without having to resort to the help of an adult to continually translate. This freedom and independence is oneof the most important benefits, because with it comes the confidence of never feeling lost or off track. Thus, languages become their own round-trip ticket.